Airship



May 27,1930. c GlUDlCE 1,760,692 7 AIRSHIP Fild March 21, 1929 2 Shets-Sheet 1 IEVENTOR BY AT RNEY y 27, 1930- c, GIUDICE 1,760,692

AIRSHIP Filed March 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1mm I; E

\ I I I j 5 Z QVEIIQTOIR I ATT /RNEY Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES eiUDrcE, or ROOK YN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR or TWO-THIRDS To MARTIN STOCKMAN, MURRAY STOCKMAN, AND JEROME e. AMBRO, ALL or BROOKLYN, NEW

YORK

AIRSHIP Application filed March 21, 1929. Serial no. 348,710.

This invention relates to airships, such as Zeppelins, dirigible balloons, aeroplanes, etc., and its principal objects are to provide such airships with means which will prevent formation of ice and snow upon the gas holding cylinders of Zeppelins or dirigible balloons, or upon the fuselages and sustaining planes of aeroplanes, which will prevent airships from deviating from intended courses through the action of lateral winds. and which will reduce the frictional resistance produced by the advancing sustaining planes of aeroplanes to the air.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a Zeppelin, equipped with the improvements of this invent-ion.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional elevation, in an enlarged scale, of the Zeppelin shown in Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 shows a fragmentary portion, 1n a still further enlarged scale, of the cross-sectional elevation shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a still further enlarged scale view, showing details of the Zeppelin of the invention, in longitudinal cross-section.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an aeroplane,

3'0 equipped with the improvements of this invention.

The usual Zeppelin 1 comprises frame-work 2 forming the rigid cylinder 3 which constitutes its main body and holds the sectional gas bags, not shown, that sustain the airship. To the frame-work 2 are secured at 4 several rings 5 that sustain the gondola and control room 6, motors 7. and other operative parts of the Zeppelin. Between the rings 5, how 8, and stern 9 of the airship, and enveloping the cylinder 3 which is covered by the usual silk fabric or casing 10, are located several cylinders 11, each of which consists of rigid frame-work 12 which is covered 45 over with silk fabric 13 or other suitable light material. Each of the cylinders 11 is mounted to rotate about the cylinder 3, by means of having fixed to each of its ends an internal gear 14 which meshes with a series of pinions 5 15 carried by studs16 running in bearings 17 formed in the rings 5, each stud 16 located between any adjoining pair of the cylinders 11 carrying a pinion 15 at each end thereof which meshes with a corresponding internal gear 14 of the cylinder 11 and such stud thereby serving as a mounting for the adjoining cylinders 11 as well as transmittting rotation from one of said cylinders to the other. To one of the rings 5 is secured an electric motor 18,,the direction of rotation of which is reversible and the controlling switch of which, not shown, is located in the control room 6 of the Zeppelin and convenient to the pilot-thereof. The motor 18 rotates a gear 19 which meshes with one of the pinions15, which in turn transi'nits its rotation through the immediate and other studs 16, pinions 15, and internal gears 14 to the adjoining cylin ders 11, and through the latter cylinders to all the remaining cylinders 11, in the above mentioned manner.

Should any ice, snow, or sleet fall and tend to form upon the body of the Zeppelin, the pilot will run the motor 18 and therewith rotate all of the cylinders 11 which substantially cover or envelop the entire body or cylinder 10 of the airship, and as the cylinders 11 rotate' they will cast off any tendencyof forina; tion of such deposit of ice or. snow upon the airship, through the centrifugal action of the surfaces of cylinders 11 and their constant revolution. In such event the pilot may rotate the cylinders 11 with the motor 18 at a speed proportional to the strength of the deposit of the precipitation and its tendency to form upon the airship and cause it to be weighted down. g I g g In case of a wind blowing laterally against the side of the airship, so as to tend to deviate it from a desired course, as when a wind shown by the arrows 2O blows against the right side of the ship, as viewed F 2, the pilot may drive the m'otor 18s'o as to ro tatetlie cylinders 11 in a counter clockwise direction, and the efi'ect of this action will be to carry the blowing current of air over the top of the ship, around its left side, and then downwardly, as indicated thereat by the turned arrows 21, with the result'tha-t the force of such lateralwind will be broken in the vicinity surrounding the airship and the true course of the latter will be retained substantially without deviation. Should the wind blow in an opposite direction the pilot may reverse the direction of rotation of the cylinders 11 and thereby obtain an opposite effect to retain the desired course without substantial deviation. In the event of such lateral winds the pilot may rotate the cylinders 11 at a speed proportionately to the strength of such wind and the extent of its perpendicularity to the longitudinal axis of the airship.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 5 the fuselage 22 of the aeroplane 23 is enveloped by cylinders 24 that are similar and are similarly mounted to the cylinders 11, and a motor 25 on the fuselage drives a gear 26 that meshes with a pinion 27 fixed on a shaft 28 mounted on the fuselage, which shaft carries another similar pinion. The pinions 2'? in turn mesh with internal gears 29 fixed to the cylinders 24 that are thereby rotated as desired. The pilot of the aeroplane may rotate the cylinders 24 to cast off any forming ice or snow, or to prevent any lateral deviation of the aeroplane from its desired course, which may be caused by lateral winds blowing at the side of the fuselage 22. Upon the roof or over the entire upper surface of the sustaining plane 30 is mounted an endless apron 31, by means of the guiding rollers 32,

33, andthe roller 32 carries a bevel gear 34 that meshes with a gear 35 fixed to an upright shaft 36 running in bearings carried by the fuselage 22. Said shaft carries a bevel gear 37 that meshes with a gear 38 fixed on a shaft 39 which is constantly driven by the aeroplane engine, not shown, which thereby drives the apron 31 in the direction of the arrows 40. The effect of this action of the apron 31 is to break the resistance which is normally offered by the upper surface of the sustaining aerofoil 30 to the advancing air current produced by the speed of the plane, and to thereby increase the velocity as well as the general propulsive efiiciency of the aeroplane. The movement of the apron 31 will also cast off any ice, snow, or sleet tending to form upon the sustaining planes of the aeroplane.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used Without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an airship, the combination with a stationary rigid gas holding cylinder, of a flush surfaced cylinder mounted to rotate about said stationary cylinder, and a motor driving said rotatable cylinder to prevent lat eral winds from deviating the airship from intend-ed course. 7

2. In an airship, the combination with a stationary rigid gas holding cylinder, of a V flush surfaced cylinder enveloping said stacylinder rotatable about its fuselage, and a 1 motor rotating said cylinder to prevent lateral winds from deviating the aeroplane from intended course.

5. An aeroplane having a plurality of flush i surfaced cylinders enveloping its fuselage and being rotatable thereabout, and a motor rotating said cylinders to prevent lateral winds from deviating the aeroplane from intended course.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 19th day of March, A. D. 1929.

CHARLES GIUDICE. 

